McMurphy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many of the oldest Irish surnames were originally in the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name McMurphy is O Murchadha or Mac Murchadha, which are both derived from the word "murchadh," meaning "sea warrior."

Early Origins of the McMurphy family

The surname McMurphy was first found in County Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the McMurphy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMurphy research.Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1127, 1172, 1650, 1716 and 1798 are included under the topic Early McMurphy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McMurphy Spelling Variations

A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name McMurphy include Murphy, Morchoe, O'Murphy, Murfie, Murfree, Morfie, Morfey and many more.

Early Notables of the McMurphy family (pre 1700)

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McMurphy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McMurphy family to the New World and Oceana

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the McMurphy family came to North America quite early: Dennis Murphy, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1766; Abraham Murphy, who settled in Maryland in 1674; Daniel Murphy, who came to Maryland in 1678; Ann Murphy, who settled in Philadelphia in 1773.

The McMurphy Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.